The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-10-15
FOOL JIM.
That He Was Called, Although He
. Was Wondrous Wise.

If we trust general opinion, it was q
series of follies, beginning in boyhood and
continuing during life. James Foljambe-
''Fool JIM" as the boys nicl1named him at
school-and the epithet clung to him-dd,
in popular judgment, the most silly things,
and yet prospered. AT school he was noted
for his folly, as well us for pluck and cool
ness. If big boy maltreated a little one,
instead of minding his own business, as a
sensible boy should, Fool jim would take it
up and thrash the bully.
When that wretched little Dick Greene.
the son of old Corney Greene, a sort of odd
job man about town, broke his leg by fall
from cherry tree, Fool Jim used to go
around and cheer up The little brat, and
spend his pocket money, of which he had
plenty, for Dicks benefit. All the leading
big boys of the school thought him fool,
but no one dared to tell him so, for, though
he was not quarrelsomc, he was quick to
resent an insult and was q tough customer
in rough-and- tumble fight.
Fojambe left school for an academy
where they prepared boys for college, and
went afterward to college. l left at the
same time to become under-salesman and
general drudge in the grocery shop of Figgs
d Oalchieze. l lost sight of him then, ex-
cept at vacations, until he was graduated
and had come home. His father, Il con-
tirned invalid, was very rich, and made q
great fuss over him when he returned, and
was very proud of the fact that Jim was at
the head of his class. There was no non
sense about jim, must say. He remem-
bered all his old schoolmatcs and put on no
airs. He would come into our shop at all
times and talk with me when l was not
busy, and, us he would be very rich in time,
old Eggs, though he did keep his peoples
noses close to the griudstone, never grum-
blcd at it.
Not that jim was an idler. He took a
vast deal off his sickiy fathers hands in
managing the large plantation. No little
job that was, either. Foljambe place en-
braced over nineteen hundred acres, and
with the exception of u hundred acres of
woodland, and about three hundred of
pasture and meadow, was closely culti-
vated. There was a fine herd of Jersey
cattle, then coming into vogue, and over
forty blooded horses, besides others for
plow and wagon.
For four years there was nothing worthy
of note except that got to he head sales.
man and sort of general manager in our
concern, which, considering my age, was o
big lift for me. But old Foljambe died a,
this time, and as James was motherless
and an only son, he succeeded to the
property. Then began the fOllieS of this
son, which made talk for the country
around for years.
The first exhibition was in the matter o1
the Peabody mortgage. There had beer
two Peabody brothers, Nathan and David
but David, the Younger one, on his father!
death had taken one thousand dollars il
cash for his share, and gone off to Mexico
to seek his fortune. He was not heard o.
afierward, and was believed to be dead
Nathan stayed on the old place. He was
shiftless man, and though he married Ber
MERITS daughter, who was u tidy house
wife and prudent woman, he could no
get along. The farm was pretty well wOrr
out and he did not improve it at all
The crops grew less and less, and Nathan
grew crop of debt To wipe that out, h,
borrowed another thousand dollars on bono
and mortgage from the same party wh,
held the first mortgage given to rails,
David's money. Things grew worse ant
worse, and at last the interest remained
unpaid for two years, and proceeding wer
taken to foreclose the mortgage. n athal
took sick over it and died. The docto. sail
it was typhoid fever, but every one Though
it was the trouble, and that Nathan ha,
given up the ghost because lie coulc no
face his Gifficulties. At all events he lied
leaving his widow with one child, a gi.l O
fourteen. She was very pretty-the in ag
of her father-and all the Pcabodys " CIR
fine looking people; but she had her moth
er's ways. .
Everybody pitied the widow, for it wa
we'll understood that the farm would bria
no more than the debt and law expenses, !.
T.. hn rn,,I1 hn At1
to buy it in. With the exception OF on
spo, the farm was worn-Out sandy loan
oyei-run with sedge.grass, the sign of sto,
iliiy, The exception was a hill covern
about forty-twoacres, apparently compose
OF ii tough, gravelly clay, unfit for eve
brick.lnaking and incapable of cultivation
To be sure, the five acres around the house
which was Mt one end Of the place, had bee
used as a vegetable garden, and that wa
In u little better order. 1t was a sorry piec
of property. So when sale day came, and
happened to be over at the county town,
dropped into tho cOurt-houso where tn
sheriff was to SELL L found only hal
dozen persons, and ono Of these was 70
jambe, and another was Phipps who hel
the mortgage.
The sheriff, stating that every one kne'
the place, which had boon with the Pei
bodys for over hundred years, asked Il
bid. The amount against the propert.
including the legal costs, was twenty-thre
hundred and eighty-four dollars. PhipL
put that in as bid, but remarked he didn
want It NJ any price, and any one advancin
on that might have It, .r at. Y
'sThat.leayes nothing for the widow,'' oil
served Foljambe. #
"suppose you bid more, then, on her o
COUNT said Phipps.
Al shall,n replied Foljambe; "thirty.hy
hundred dollars.n
''Is that your bid, Mr.. FoIiambei" 4
Quired the sherl6.